Lost in Sand
by peekaboo789
Summary: UPDATED*Chp8* After a ship wreck, Kori a greek girl, washes up on the shore of the Nile in search of any survivers. Hungry and thirsty, she meets up w/ a magician in training who leads her to the palace! Can Kori cope w/ out her fair Athens? AtemXOC
1. Adventure to Chaos

Note: A new ancient series! I don't know if the time periods match up or not, but eh, I don't really care XD

Talking: "Hi"

Thought: _'Hi'_

* * *

Three days of blaring sun. Three damn days of that constant itch in the throat and painstaking growl in the pits of her stomach. If she could, Kori would punch her self in the gut just to make it shut up, but sadly, she couldn't even lift her arms. The most she could do was remember to breath for she had long given up on breathing. The Fates most definitely were having fun with her.

Another wave tilted Kori's plywood raft s she drifted along the never-ending ocean, her eyes lifting heavily to glance and see if her surroundings had even changed. Nope, the same blue ocean still mocked her with its glossy shine, blinding her as the sun reflected off of it. It was bad enough the poor girl was thirsty, and just looking at the ocean was a constant reminder of that itch. Kori closed her gray eyes again to make the picture fade away again, but still couldn't get the itch to leave. By now, most men would have given in and drank the ocean water, which would result in their death but Kori knew better. She knew what would happen if she gave in…

'_Why…? Why did this happen to me?'_ She thought, shifting her body to a new position on the raft. It was small, but at least it held her up and prevented her from drowning. Unlike some people she knew. Her head throbbed as she tried her best to push back the hurting memories of that night, holding back tears that she could not afford to lose. If she was to die, she wasn't going to die broken like this. _'I'm so sorry for anything I've done…but please, Poseidon, drift me to land. I don't care where, just land.'_

* * *

**_Three days ago…_**

"Kori, get out of the man's way!"

"Oh, Sorry!" Kori apologized immediately as she hopped out of one of her father's servant's way, leaning against the side of the boat. It was going to be the first time that she was able to attend her father and brother's trip of trade. She wasn't exactly sure where she was going, but just the fact that she could go was enough for her. The smell of the ocean and the taste of salt on her lips made the adrenaline pulse through her veins even more.

"Now, are you sure you want to go?" Her mother asked, pulling her daughters wild and unruly curly hair in a braid. Kori breathed in sharply with each pull of searing pain; she hated when her mom braided her hair.

"I'll be fine, and besides, it's only for a month. Daphne and Desma can take care of the house." Kori stated quite happily, looking up at her mother's gray eyes and smiled. Kori was the youngest of the family and never got to do these soft of things. Her older sister's had both accompanied their father on his trips before; in fact that was where Daphne found her husband. Her mother frowned and gave her a tight hug.

"Be careful, and remember, 'Water water everywhere, yet not a drop to drink.' It'll remind you not to drink the ocean water." She said, finishing the messy braid.

"I know, I know. Plus Ammos is there to keep me in line." Kori laughed, glancing over at her brother. He was tall and well built, perfect for the life of an adventurer.

"Yes, and be sure to be on your father's good side, you know how his temper is at home and just think of it here."

"Eep…I'll be good!"

* * *

The first couple of hours on bored where hard on Kori's stomach, and her legs where wobbly too. It was annoying to see her brother and his friends walk so carelessly and even dance on board while she hung over the edge, hurling.

"Kori, don't get the side all dirty." Ammos laughed as he drank a cup of wine with his buddies. Kori lifted her head heavily and glared at him with full, pale force. He was such an annoying twenty year old, and his buddies where even more worse.

"Shut up or I'll barf on you!" Kori snapped back, immediately hanging over the edge to hurl again. Ammos laughed again and turned back to his friends to talk about guy stuff. Kori frowned and closed her eyes; at least she was away from her sisters for a while.

Meanwhile inside of the captain's quarters of the small ship, Kori's father frowned as he glanced down at his map, rubbing his temples and sighing heavily.

"We set out too late," He began, looking up at his second in command. "It'll take a week to get to Egypt, not to mention that storm brewing in the horizon." He looked out the window and growled.

"B-But sir, there is a good chance it'll end by the time we get there." The second in command said, hiding the worry in his timid voice. Any other time would be normal to get caught in a storm, but this time they couldn't afford any danger.

"I shouldn't have brought my youngest on. She wouldn't know what to do in a dangerous situation like this. She's only fifteen." Father said, thinking of his two daughters back home. Kori was supposed to be at home with her mother and sister's to prepare for the birth of Daphne's child, but the girl was too stubborn and wouldn't take no for an answer. If she was his daughter, she definitely inherited his stubbornness.

"Oh, well, Ammos can guide her and protect her, and if the water gets too rough we can tie her to the mast."

"True, but knowing Kori, she'll want to help."

* * *

It was midnight of the first day on bored and Kori was wide-awake, looking around her spot in her father's room. Being in a new environment always kept her awake for the first couple nights. She turned over again and sighed, letting a few seconds pass before she shot up in bed.

"I can't sleep." She whispered, sliding her itchy sheets off her and sneaking out the door. She stopped once or twice to glance at her father to make sure he didn't wake up. It was surprisingly quiet with the majority of men sleeping or hard at work. She leaned over the edge again to glance at the dark blue ocean. It was so pretty, but the stain from her vomit on the side ruined the view. " It's kind of windy…" She began, wrapping her arms around her shoulders.

She looked up at the dark clouds covering the moons and shuddered, this wasn't a good sign. She looked back down to push the fear out of her mind before feeling a small droplet of water land on her lip. Another one landed on her hand, then yet another on her cheek. The rain started out slow, but then started coming down hard. Kori knew something wasn't right.

"A-Ammos!" She called out as she raced to where he was sleeping. He groaned and turned over. Kori frowned and slapped his face. "Ammos wake your lazy ass up! It's pouring outside!" Ammos opened his eyes and sat up.

"How hard is the rain?"

"Its pooooouuuring!! Like giant beads pelting down!"

"D-Damn!" Ammos cursed as he jumped out of his bed and began to wake the group. "The storm came too soon! Wake up!" Ammos ran outside, leaving Kori on her knees in fear. She shook her head and pushed the fear out; Now wasn't the time to be a child. She had to help out.

"Ammos! What can I do?!" Kori asked, grabbing a rope to the sail and pulling like her brother. Ammos grabbed the rope and pushed her aside.

"Nothing! You'll get hurt!" He yelled over the pouring rain and strong winds. The boat began to toss and turn, knocking Kori to the side of the boat. She was truly amazed at how her brother could stand stiffly during this chaos.

"But-"

"Kori! Come here!" Her father yelled out through commands to his crew, in his giant hands a large rope. Kori nodded and stumbled to him, grabbing onto the mast for support. He pushed her against the mast and began to wrap the rope around her and the mast. "This'll keep you from falling over bored." He said, patting her soaking brown hair and giving her a loving kiss on the cheek. "Be good."

"But," She stuttered, looking over the working crew. It was a horrible scene. "I…I want to help."

A giant shadow fell over the boat as Kori glanced up at the maker of the shadow. She gasped as a giant wave came into view before crashing down on the ship…

**To be continued…**


	2. Land!

Note: Thank you guys for reading the first chapter XP and if you have any ideas I'll be happy to hear them out!

Talking: "Hi"

Thinking: _'Hi'_

Other language: _**"Hi"**_

* * *

That giant wave was all Kori could think of as she drifted for three days in the Mediterranean Sea on a ply wood raft. She couldn't exactly remember how she got untied from the mast, that much was still a hazy blur of blue and made her head hurt when she thought about. She felt another sting of tears in her eyes yet again, trying to hold back the moisture. Her father, her brother, and the crew…they were all gone, but still, Kori couldn't help but have a small inkling of hope that they survived the storm. She opened her eyes and looked at the ocean, expecting the same blue sea yet again.

"W-Wait a second…?" Kori mumbled, opening her gray eyes even more. She didn't have the greatest eyesight in the world, but she could tell that there was something other then ocean out in the horizon. It looked like a strip of green and brown running across the line of the horizon. She felt her heart lift and serge of energy she had been saving pulse through her arms and legs. This was her chance, if she didn't fight the current now it would sweep her back out to her doom.

She first decided to flip her legs into the water to start kicking, along with her arms, and move them in a slow fluid motion to save her energy. The water was surprisingly warmer in this area then it was when she was out in the deeper part of the sea, but now wasn't the time to focus on the water. All that she had to focus on was that small strip of land. She prayed that it wasn't just a hallucination.

"D-Damn! I'm too slow!" She snapped at her self, the current pushing harder on her legs and arms as they began to tire out. The strip of land began to get bigger and bigger, and the green part began to show the details of weeds and grass. Kori's heart leaped in her chest. "It's not all in my head!" She exclaimed. The plants got more and more detailed, and the water became even warmer.

After a couple minutes of swimming, Kori finally reached the bank of the river and flopped on her back. She was finally on land! Three days of floating around on a raft had finally ended. She lay there a couple minutes before pushing her self up. Since she was at a riverbank, the water there must be fresh. She crawled to the edge and dipped her hand in, scooping up a handful of hazy water. She hesitated, but gratefully drank the fresh water down. She smiled largely and began scooping more and more until she got sick.

"That damn itch is finally gone…" Kori mumbled while she lay on the sand. She looked up at the sun and cringed, shielding the light from her eyes. Her usually pale skin was now a bright pink around her fore arms and cheeks. Her gray eyes where now blood shot and her curly hair frizzed. She was a mess, but at least she was alive. "Now, I need to find some food." She said, sitting up again and looking past the reeds and river grass. Past the green was a vast desert that stretched forever, much like the ocean. She frowned and sighed.

"W-Why me…?"

* * *

"I-Its so damn hot here!" Kori shouted, stumbling as her feet got stuck in a sand dune. Thankfully, her sandals had not fallen off because of the special way she tied them up her leg, so she didn't have to worry about scalding her feet on the extremely hot sand. She had been wandering for an hour or so, but she kept the river in sight because where there was a river, there had to be civilization. Her toga was now dry and dragging, which annoyed the crap out of her to the point she finally decided to rip the damn thing at the knees and wrap the extra cloth around her face to keep the sun from burning her even more.

"I miss Greece…" She mumbled through gritted teeth. While walking she guessed she was in some part of Africa because of the couple of hippos she saw at the river. She wondered a bit more, but decided to head back to the river to get a drink again and hopefully spends the night there. The sun was beginning to set and she didn't have the strength to travel any more, and maybe she could catch a fish or too for dinner. "Man…"

She flopped on the moist sand and closed her eyes…

* * *

"_**Um…Hello?" **_

Kori groaned as she felt the prodding of what felt like a giant stick in her side, and the high-pitched voice of a woman ringing in her ears. She opened her eyes and glanced up at a young woman about her age with brown hair and very tan skin. She was wearing a tan dress and hat that shielded her makeup covered blue eyes. She smiled and prodded her again, this time in the cheek with her giant curved staff.

"_**What is a weird looking girl like you laying on the bank of the Nile?"**_ The girl said in an odd language, tilting her head to the side and still poking Kori's cheek. Kori sighed in annoyance and sat up, pushing the staff away. The girl held her tan hand out to help Kori stand to her feet.

"Um, hi?" Kori mumbled, patting the sand from her butt. The girl cocked her yet again to the left this time, most likely not understanding a word Kori had just said. And she didn't expect her to, after all, she spoke Greek and this girl obviously wasn't Greek. The girl smiled again and touched Kori's burned cheek with the tips of her fingers, startling Kori a bit, and then took a small container from her pouch hanging on her belt. She let a green substance fall on the tip of her finger, and then she began to rub it on Kori's cheeks.

Confused and a bit disturbed at this woman's hospitality, she didn't realize just how much that green goop began to sooth the raw and burned skin. The girl smiled and took out another bag and reached in, Her arm disappearing deeply into the small bag. Kori's eyes grew wide. How the heck was she doing that? The tan girl pulled her arm out and handed a loaf of bread to Kori.

"F-For me?" Kori exclaimed, the growl in her stomach coming back again. She had forgotten how hungry she was since she filled up on river water. Kori felt tears sting her eyes and gratefully chomped down on the bread, savoring every bite to its fullest. The girl reached into her bag again and took out a cup with a skin canteen. She poured the white liquid into the cup and handed it to Kori. She gratefully gulped down the liquid, which tasted like milk and honey. "Thank you so much!"

This girl who Kori didn't even know was giving her food and milk out of the goodness off her heart. It made her feel special that there was someone so nice to help her in her time of need. Now, if only she could understand just what she was saying?

"_**I like you strange girl, come with me and I'll show you around! And we can change your dirty cloths!" **_The girl said in her language again, grabbing Kori by the hand and tugging her down the bank. Kori knew it wasn't smart to fallow a complete stranger to a place she had never been to, but something just told her to fallow.

"I don't know what you said, but I hope it was something about a bath."

**To be continued…**


	3. Magicians and Palaces?

Note: Whooot! 3rd chapter! Thank you patriot16 for the idea(I'll be using it in the next chpter) and reviews!

Talking: "Hi"

Thinking: _'Hi'_

Other language: _**"Hi"**_

* * *

Chapter 3

"…I think I'm starting to regret following this woman." Kori mumbled to herself as she followed the foreign girl, who she had met up with a couple hours earlier. They had been walking for at least three hours, and Kori's legs were just about to give out. She sighed, observing the tan girl dance and hop in the sand. How she didn't tire out, Kori didn't know…?

"_**We are almost there!"**_ The girl said in her weird language, well, it wasn't weird…it just sounded odd to Kori's ears. Kori nodded, not sure what she had said but believed that the nod was the best gesture to not seem rude. The girl smiled and turned back to her hopping and humming, leaving Kori to follow intently and try not to stray.

'_I hope she said something about not walking any more…' _Kori thought, stopping for a second to kick out the occasional rock in her sandals. Kori had done this a couple times during their walk, and normally the tan girl would stop and wait patiently, but when Kori looked up the tan girl was gone! A sudden wave of fear hit Kori at full throttle. "Oh shit!"

She glanced around the desert and began to panic. If the girl left her, Kori would probably die of hunger and thirst…. So much for a chance at life. Kori fell to her knees in overwhelming sadness, looking out into the desert and spotting a dark figure a couple ways ahead. Kori jumped to her feet, mentally hitting her self for freaking out so easily.

"Hah! There she is! She must have walked ahead!" Kori giggled, racing towards the tan girl's figure. She was standing on the edge of a cliff, looking over the edge with a gigantic smile of familiarity spread across her face. Kori, who was now officially tired due to running through sand, glanced at the girl and then down over the cliff.

"_**Pretty, isn't it?" **_The girl said, looking at Kori's shocked face. It wasn't pretty. It was beautiful! Kori stared in awe at the sight of the gigantic palace in the middle of the desert with its gleaming pillars and solid gold tips. Out side the palace was a very large village with sand building and hundreds of people. Kori had never seen anything so…different before in her life.

"Is this were you live?" Kori asked the girl, pointing to the village. Kori forgot all about the language barrio, and waited for the girl's response. The girl probably lived in one of the stone houses in the village below the city and was out by the river to collect things, but instead found Kori. The girl giggled and moved Kori's pointed finger to the direction of the palace, and jumped down the cliff onto a rock, motioning Kori to follow. "W-Wait?! Are we going to the palace?!"

"_**Hurry up, odd girl!"**_ The girl said, waiting for Kori to jump down. She would have already if it weren't for the fact that the jump was a couple yards down, so she had to turn around and slid down the edge. The slide tore the side of Kori's toga even more, and left a couple scrapes on her hands and side. As she got to the bottom next to the girl, she looked over her toga and sighed.

"And this piece of crap was once my favorite outfit…" She mumbled jumping with the girl onto the next couple rocks down until they reached the bottom. The palace was so much bigger at the bottom of the cliff then it was before. The girl smiled and grabbed Kori's hand, leading her to the side of the palace. She began to tap on some of the giant stones before grabbing one and pulling on it. The tone began to slide open, exposing a passageway big enough for them to crawl through.

And this was the part of the trip were Kori was starting to think she had become an accomplice to a crime. The girl smiled and began to crawl through, leaving Kori outside. Kori hesitated for a couple seconds, looking into the eerie tunnel as the girl began to fade into the darkness. Kori so desperately didn't want to be alone again, so she sucked up her fear and began to follow on her hands and knees.

'_I don't like this one bit.' _She thought, keeping an eye on the girl in front of her. It wasn't a really pleasant view, but she didn't want to get lost in this darkness. _'Hopefully I'll make it out alive.' _

They crawled for a good ten minutes before the girl stopped, causing Kori to bump into the girl's rear. Kori glanced over the side, trying to get a good look at what the girl was doing. She began to tap the stone in front of her with her staff, and a small light began to glow. Kori stared in awe as the light engulfed the stone and began to move it to the side.

"Wow…" Kori whispered, looking at the girl's smiling face as she crawled through the opening. The tunnel led to a room filled with scrolls and what not. The girl stretched to loosen her cramped muscles and began to search through the scrolls. Kori didn't care why she was here; she was more focused on how much information was in this library. "So, do you come here often? I mean, you seem to know this area well." Kori asked, sitting on the floor and holding her knees.

"_**Where is it?"**_ The girl mumbled, not paying attention to Kori's speech. At this time Kori desperately wished she could speak that girl's language, it was too much not having anyone to really talk too. Well, she could talk to this girl, but it wasn't like she would understand a word of it. Hell, Kori didn't even know her name. _**"Aha!"**_ The girl sang, sliding down a wooden ladder with a couple of scrolls in her hands.

"Oh wow! Are we going to read those?!" Kori exclaimed, taking one of the scrolls. The girl quickly covered Kori's mouth and hushed her. Apparently they weren't supposed to be here.

"_**Ssh! We're not supposed to be here! Well, you're not supposed to be here, weird girl."**_ The girl whispered, taking her hand off of Kori's mouth. She grabbed Kori's hand and led her to an area in the library that had odd hieroglyphics on the ground in a circle. Kori had an uneasy feeling in her stomach, which increased more when the girl began to read the scrolls out loud with her glowing staff.

"O-Okay, what's going on?" Kori stuttered as the hieroglyphics began to glow around her. Maybe following this girl was a bad idea after all? The girl kept on chanting and waving her staff before taking out a small brush with ink from her pouch. Kori watched her move in intently, grabbing Kori's pale hand and writing some weird symbols on her wrist. At first Kori was confused, but then the ink began to burn and feel like needles were being shot throw her arm. "W-What the hell?!" Kori exclaimed, trying to rub off the ink. The lights began to fade, along with the burning sensation in Kori's arm, but the ink wasn't coming off no matter how hard she rubbed. The girl lowered her staff and smiled, patting Kori on the head.

"Now, that wasn't so bad now was it?" The girl said, smiling largely. Kori sneered and held her newly tattooed arm close to her chest.

"Easy for you to say!" Kori said back as the girl laughed hysterically. If there was a joke, Kori sure as hell didn't get it.

"What?"

"You don't even realize that I'm talking to you!" The girl laughed harder, leaning on her staff for support. Kori blushed. She was in too much pain to even realize that the girl had spoken to her in Greek, or what sounded like Greek.

"H-How did you do that?" Kori asked, looking down at the tattoo on her wrist.

"Oh, I used a spell!" She said happily, bouncing on her heels.

"A spell…?" Kori mumbled, now staring at the staff in the girl's hands.

"Yes! I'm a magician in training! I'm not very good though…but you're the best that I've done so far!" She sang, hugging Kori. "Your head didn't even explode!"

"My head would have exploded?!" Kori gasped, gripping her head and pushing the girl off of her. "W-Who the hell are you anyway?" She asked, looking at the girl's sad face. A magician in training? Where the hell was she, and why the hell did this girl have a right to experiment on her?

"Oh, that was mean…but anyway, I'm Mana!" She said, her frown immediately disappearing into a gigantic smile. Kori stared at her for a second, letting the info seep into her fried brain.

"Oh…" She said, sitting down on the cold stone and thinking. Mana sat down besides her, holding her staff tightly.

"And who are you, where did you come from, are you alone, why are you here, are you-"

"Please, just one question at a time." Kori began, covering the newly named Mana's mouth with her hand. "I'm Kori, I'm from Greece, yes I am alone at the moment, and I'm currently shipwrecked here." She finished, lying down on the stone. "Where am I?"

"Okay, Kori, welcome to Egypt!"

**To be continued…**


	4. Scrolls and Breaking in?

Note: I've got quite allot of inspiration for this story.

Talking: "Hi"

Thinking: _'Hi'_

Other language: _**"Hi"**_

* * *

"Wow, Egypt."

"Yup! Cool huh?" Mana giggled in her happy tone, patting Kori's curly brown hair. Kori still couldn't grasp the fact that she had reached the destination she was supposed to when she was on board her father's ship, which meant that some of the crew might be in Egypt too. Mana stood to her feet and brushed the sand off her bottom. "You're pretty lucky that I found you before anyone else did." Mana said, poking at the random scrolls that were once organized, but were now scattered across a table.

"Why? What would happen?" Kori mumbled as she picked at the blisters forming on her feet from the blistering heat and walking for hours. Her sandals were now tearing and probably couldn't last another day out on the sand again, in fact neither could Kori. She was so grateful that Mana had stumbled across her before anything else did.

"Well, for one thing, the slave drivers would probably kidnap you and make you into a slave." Mana began while pulling out a scroll and waving her staff around as if to practice. Kori's eyes immediately shot up and stared holes into the tan girl.

"S-Slave?" Kori stuttered as her hands immediately stopped, her eyes growing wide. Slave? Kori definitely wasn't built for any kind of manual labor, mental maybe, but physical? No way. Back in Greece Kori's hardest physical choir was to clean the living room and baby proof the house.

"Yeah, they don't take so lightly to foreign strangers," Mana began, looking back into Kori's gray eyes. " Hell, I'm surprised you didn't get torn apart from the crocodiles in the river! Those things barley hesitate to chomp off a man's hand. I guess the gods must be looking over you." She giggled, walking back over to Kori with a pile of scrolls under each arm and sat down next to her. Kori looked at Mana and sighed.

"Why are you reading so many at a time? I mean, don't you live here?" Kori asked, obviously shocking the Magician. Mana sweated a bit and let out a forced laughed, rolling up the scroll she was currently looking at.

"W-Well, um, I'm not really supposed to be here. Well, I can be, but only with Master Mahado…" She mumbled, a frown growing on her face. "But I really want to be a great magician, so I've been sneaking in here a couple nights a week with out him knowing and memorizing the spell scrolls. I've never been caught yet."

"Oh, I see." Kori smiled as she thought back at the time when she used to sneak on board her father's ship before it took off. Those memories of the past seemed nothing more then a figment of her imagination instead of memories, and they had become so bland that it was hard to tell daydreams from memories.

* * *

The two sat there for an hour or two until it became too dark for Mana to memorize the last four scrolls she pulled out. All together she had memorized three, which was pretty amazing if one saw the content, and they were ready to get to bed. Kori's eyes felt like large pieces of lead were tied to the end, and were keeping her from staying awake. In fact, Kori had drifted from in and out of sleep for a couple minutes.

"Oh crud!" Mana exclaimed quickly as she rolled up the current scroll she had been reading. Kori shot awake from Mana's sudden outburst and looked around the room in alarm.

"What? What's going on?" She said half awake, lying back down on the stone floor again.

"Kori, wake up! We have to get going! This is about the time Master Mahado comes and reads scrolls!" Mana said, pulling on Kori's hair. But it was too late; Kori was dead asleep and couldn't wake up. She had been with out food for three days and walking for hours, she needed this sleep desperately. Mana began to panic and shove the scrolls back into their slots, glancing back at Kori. "W-What do I do…?" She mumbled, gasping as she heard the footsteps of her master. She glanced at the opening, then back at Kori about four times then finally gave up.

"F-Forgive me ,Kori." She whispered before diving into the crawl space and closing the stone behind her, leaving Kori asleep on the floor by herself.

* * *

"Good evening, Master Mahado." A servant said as she finished her daily duties in the palace. It was now becoming dark and most of the servants were finishing up their chores and what not. Mahado glanced up from his scroll and gave a small nod to acknowledge her existence; he always made sure to let people know he had heard them.

"Good evening." He smiled back, rolling up his scroll and leaning against the doors to the Library. Everyday he would make his cheery way down to the room of knowledge to brush up on his magic skills, so that he would be ready for anything the pharaoh would ask him too. Although, lately the scrolls had been placed in random slots and left on the table, opened, and not taken very good care of. Mahado had been searching everywhere for the intruder, but had yet to catch them in the act.

"Good evening, Master Mahado." Another servant said, bowing and scurry on her way. Mahado waved and turned to face the door, pushing it lightly and walking in. It was dark as usual, but something wasn't quite right. He lit a nearby candle, and began to explore.

"Somebody is here…" He mumbled, gripping the scroll in his hand tightly. He stopped in his tracks and heard the sound of breathing coming from the other side of the shelf. He braced himself and jumped out. "Haa- huh?" On the floor was a pale foreign girl, most likely from Greece, in a dead like sleep. The magician stared at her in question, looking around at the poorly taken care of scrolls.

"Surly she couldn't have been the one breaking in?" He mumbled as he knelt on the ground, examining her burnt skin and blistered feet. Mahado glanced down at her torn and stained toga, then onto her breaking sandals. No, she couldn't be the one, but how the heck did she get in? He glanced around the room, the floor, the ceiling, and the wall, but he still couldn't find an opening big enough for her to crawl though.

"She looks so beat up, and malnourished. Maybe she's an escaped slave?" He whispered as he slid his hands underneath her neck and legs, carrying her bridal style as her neck flopped over his arms. He couldn't just leave her on the floor like that, he was just too kind, and being a servant himself, he knew just what she must have gone through.

The girl grunted slightly, flopping her arm out to the side and reveling an odd tattoo. Usually Mahado would have overlooked the print since it could have been a mark of owner ship by her master, but something seemed familiar. The writing wasn't written very well and was smudged slightly, but Mahado could definitely recognize that marking. It was the spell of speech, which was only used by the highest of nobles who wanted to understand each language that came to them. Not only did he recognize the spell, but he also recognized the sloppy writing.

"…Mana…"

**To be continued…**


	5. Burns and Children?

Note: I'm cranking out as many as I can in this story to try and get most of the chapters out!

Talking: "Hi"

Thinking: _'Hi'_

Other language: _**"Hi"**_

* * *

It was hot. Extremely hot. Not only was it hot, but also Kori was having weird dreams about being engulfed in large flames that were burning the skin right off her bones. It was horrible and unimaginably painful. She tossed and turned from side to side as she tried so desperately to put out the fire on her skin, but she couldn't for each time she put one flame out, another would light up. She fought and fought before shooting up from her sleep and rubbing the sweat off her fore head.

"W-Where am I?" Kori whispered as he glanced around the tiny room, her hands and body shaking from her dream. It was a fairly small room, with many straw beds much like the ones she was in laying around the room. Kori glanced down at her arms and realized what the burning sensation was in her dream. Her arms and legs were now a bright red with random pus wounds scattered across the peeling skin. It was definitely not a pretty sight. "Eew.."

The burns had now had time to heal and were stinging horribly each time she moved. She lay back down and closed her gray eyes. It seemed she wasn't going to be moving today.

"Look, she's awake."

"Eew, what's wrong with her skin…?"

Kori opened her eyes slowly and glanced over the side of the straw bed. Two little girls about the ages of nine and seven were looking over the edge of the bed, staring at Kori with big brown eyes. She sighed and closed her eyes again, not wanted to deal with the two children while she was in pain.

"I think she got burned." The one with beaded black hair whispered to the youngest with brown braided hair. Kori tried her best to ignore their curiosity, and focused on going back to sleep.

"Yuck, she look sorta…weird." The seven year old stated, slowly gliding her finger across the bed and nudging Kori's sore arm. It took allot of self control for Kori to not burst out screaming and slapping the child, so instead she let out a long and forced sigh.

"Aloli, don't touch her! She could be infected with something." The nine year old said, grabbing the newly named Aloli by the wrist.

"B-But she look so bad. Me had to touch." Aloli whispered, taking her hand back from the other little girl.

'P-Please just leave me be…'Kori thought as she let out yet another long and painful sigh. The two little girls looked back at Kori's pain stricken face.

"Neema, she covered in booboos. Go as' Odjit for that green stuff again." Aloli said, poking Kori in the arm yet again. She didn't know how long she could stand much more of this utter pain, and now that there were too little girls poking at her it wasn't getting any better. Kori took in a deep breath as she felt the side of her bed slouch when Aloli sat on the edge. She was a tiny girl, cute and what not, with matted brown hair in a messy braid much like what Kori used to do with her own hair. "Don' worry burn girl. My sis'er, Neema, is gone to go get you some medicine to help make those booboos feel better."

"Great…" Kori mumbled through chapped lips, turning her head to the side to try and get more comfortable. Aloli smiled largely and pulled on her brown dress, looking over Kori's burnt face. Kori didn't like the attention she was getting, but she had to admit, it was much nicer then being on a raft in the middle of the ocean. But what was really on her mind was how she had gotten in this tiny room. Did Mana carry her here, or did she sleepwalk into the nearest room? She opened her eyes and looked at Aloli. "Do you know how I got here?" She asked, staring at the child.

"Oh, Master Mahado carried you in 2 nights about, but you looked better the, then you do now." Neema said as she walked through the door with a cup of the familiar green stuff Mana had rubbed on her cheeks the other day. She pushed her sister to the side and began to run the stuff gently on Kori's arms and face. The cooling sensation made Kori want to cry out in happiness, but she was still immobile.

"Master Mahado?" Kori mumbled, thinking back to what Mana had said. Mahado was the name of her master was it not? Kori cringed slightly as Neema began to spread out the medicine.

"Yeah, he's the Pharaoh's number one Magician, but right now he's training Mana at the moment." Neema said, setting the cup down and smiling. All the pieces began to fit together now. Apparently Kori had fallen asleep in the library and Mana ditched her, letting her master find Kori asleep on the floor. " You have been sleeping for two days now."

"Two days, sheesh…" Kori said, feeling slightly better now that the medicine was soaking in. Kori heard and felt a loud growl escape her stomach, and the itch in her throat appeared again.

"Sis, she mus' be hungry." Aloli said, tugging on her sister's sleeve.

"Well then go get her some food!" Neema scolded as she finished up with the medicine. Kori was starting to feel a bit edgy and wanted to get out of the bed, even if it meant she would be in pain. Not to mention she had to relive her self badly. Kori slowly pushed her self up and swung her legs over the edge in a fluid motion. Luckily, they weren't as badly burned as her arms so it wouldn't be that painful, and maybe the movement will cool down her arms. "H-Hey! You shouldn't get up."

"I know, but I have to go to the bathroom," Kori began as she stood to her feet, leaning against the wall for support as she walked out in to the hallway.

"O-Okay, jus' be back soon!"

* * *

"Mana?" Kori called out in the hallway of the palace, which was much more confusing then she thought it would have, searching through each empty room for her friend. Even though Mana ditched her a couple days ago, she missed her happy go lucky outlook on things. "Maaaanaaa?" She said again, looking through the giant vases. A couple of nobles, Kori presumed, watched her intently and whispered to each other. They all wore elaborate clothing and jewels carved into their gold jewelry. To Kori, those things were meaningless now that she had almost died over the week.

"Excuse me, miss?"

Kori glanced up from the vase at a young man about two years older than herself. He was about average height with the strangest colored hair and also wore fancy clothing much like the people around him. Kori was taken slightly aback at why he was even speaking to her, but she smiled sweetly and tried to be polite.

"Yes?" She answered, glancing at the odd pyramid necklace hanging around his neck. The boy smiled and pointed down the hallway and to the right.

"Mana is out that way if you're looking for her." He said in a deep voice as he bowed slightly to Kori. She couldn't help but blush at his generosity and nodded, sprinting down the hallway to meet Mana. The boy smiled and turned back to his guests.

"M-My Pharaoh-"

"Well, shall we get back to my party?"

To be continued…


	6. The face of a Goddess

Note: Sorry it's so short…and I know I should be updating ALICE a bit more, but I have no inspiration for that story at the moment…

Talking: "Hi"

Thinking: _'Hi'_

Other language: _**"Hi"**_

* * *

Kori sighed heavily in annoyance as she walked down the surprisingly long hallway to the gigantic palace she was in at the moment, her left eye twitched with aggravation each time she glanced up at the same exact design on the stone walls she had been looking at for ten minutes. By now one would go mentally insane, but Kori tried her best to hold down the feelings by humming random tunes and walking at a faster pace, not to mention biting down on her bottom lip. She sighed again, punching a nearby wall with force.

"..If I owned this place the first ting I would do is punch who ever designed this palace in the face!" Kori mumbled under her breath as she slid down the wall to the floor. Her anger was starting to subside now, but her burns were starting to flare up again and she needed to use the bathroom. She was so fixated on finding Mana that she had forgotten about her own bodily needs, and now the poor girl had to pay the price. "This is bad…I'm most likely miles away from the room I was in and I have to pee." Kori spied down each side of the hallway, her curly hair falling her shoulder. First Right, then left, but no one was coming. She lay back against the side again, closing her eyes and thinking. "I'm completely lost…"

"Excuse me, but are you alright, Kori?" The soft melodic voice of a woman said, no, sang to the Greek girl, making Kori's eyes shoot open. Kori felt her face flush a bit as she stared into the beautiful face of a woman with long black hair hidden by a gold headdress. She had dark blue eyes, and such a kind face it would make any body melt. Kori quickly averted her gaze, for this woman must have been a deity of some sorts. "Do you need help?"

"Oh! Well, not really…I mean, yes! I was looking for a girl named Mana, and I sort of, got ost. And my burns are beginning to hurt again…" Kori tried her best not to complain, but it was hard to mask her frustration. The woman let out a angelic laugh and took Kori's hand to help her off the ground. Her hand was soft, unlike Kori's now calloused hands due to climbing rocks and such while she was on her way to the palace with Mana. She now realized why she felt weird around this woman; the woman was everything Kori wished she could be.

"Oh, is that all? Come now and I'll clean you up, you poor thing. Walking around in this condition? I'm going to have to have a long talk with Aloli and Neema when we get you back to bed. "The woman said in what must have been her harshest tone, but Kori couldn't even tell she was angry at all. The woman stopped for a split second and examined Kori's torn and ragged toga with a frown. "I guess we'll have to get you new cloths too. Can't have you walk around half clothed like that."

"Oh, thank you…" Kori mumbled, the red now fading from her already pink cheeks, right now she was thankful that she was burned.

* * *

Kori yelped in surprise before being submerged in a gigantic bath of warm water, coughing out the unwanted liquid that shot up her nose. "What the…?"

"This is my bath; you are allowed to use this even when I'm not around. If any one catches you in here, say that you are in the process of being purified." The woman said, tossing the ripped toga to the side and taking out a thin towel for Kori to use. It was kind of embarrassing having an older woman be around while she was bathing in a strange place. Although, the mystery woman reminded Kori a lot of her mother, so she had an odd sense of peace in the storm of her emotions. "Kori," She began.

"Huh?"

"If you need me for any reason just ask for Isis."

"K-Kay…" Kori stuttered as Isis gave a small wave goodbye and left Kori alone in privacy. Before she had left she set a white dress on the floor next to the bath. It was far enough to not get wet, thank fully. Kori sunk further into the bath and began to wash her hair. She let out a long and happy breath. "Isis is such a nice woman…wait, how did she know my name?!"

* * *

Days had passed since the news of the Greek girl being found in the library by Mahado had been spread through every part of the palace, yet none other than Mana, Isis, and Mahado had yet to see her. "She's definitely not a threat at the moment." Isis said harshly as her hand rested upon her millennium necklace, her face relaxed despite the situation. She was standing at the side of the library room along with her companion, Mahado. The man let out a breath of relief.

"That's good to know." He said, rubbing his temple. "I have already made sure that Mana is punished for her recklessness, but thank the gods that you were able to meet her in person since I have yet to, well in full consciousness anyway."

"Don't be so stressed about it, and besides, she is still weak from her burns. If we keep her here while she heals, we can grow a strong bond with her and maybe we can control what that thing is inside." Isis said sweetly while putting a hand on the man's shoulder. Mahado nodded and smiled.

"And also she is too weak to survive a separation yet."

To be continued….


	7. Finally the Pharaoh Appears!

Gaaaaaaaaaaaaah! I know! You all hate me! I'm really sorry! I haven't updated this is almost two years! Well, I'm so sorry and I'll try and make up as much as I can! Oh, and the end of the story will make sense in the next chapter~

* * *

She had stared at the same wall for the past three hours. By now, Kori's finger tips were beginning to look like grapes that were left out in the sun for two long, but she didn't care. So much had been going on that she didn't want to get out of the lukewarm water and enter back in that strange place. This bath was her sanctuary. Sure she was bathing in what could only be described as her own filth, but the calmness and silence eased her mind.

"Isis probably thinks I've drowned," Kori mumbled slightly, causing bubbles to rise to the surface of the filthy water. "but the fact that no one has come to check on me makes me even more depressed." She sighed and dunked her head under the water. It was so quiet that she could think about anything, including her missing father and brother. Kori's eyes began to sting from the thoughts, or maybe it was the water, but she decided it was time to leave. Those thoughts are not healthy for her.

"Bwah!" Kori gasped for air as she burst from the water, only to be surprised to see nude Mana standing at the door way. The magician in training just stared before giving Kori a gigantic smile.

"Kori! You're alive! Man I haven't see you since-"

"Y-You! Y-you, you, you idiot! You left me there to DIE!" Kori exclaimed, brandishing her fists above her hands. "Why did you do that?"

Mana put a finger to her lip, smiling slightly.

You were fine, Master Mahado would never kill you! He's much to kind~"Mana giggled with excitement, and jumped into the bath next to the Greek girl. Kori, still slightly enraged, decided to not tell the magician that the bath was filthy. It was her own form of secret revenge. Pushing the revenge aside, she decided this would be a perfect time to get some answers about this place that she was in.

"Master Mahado? Isn't he some sort of great magical person?" Kori asked, sitting back down in the water. Mana gave Kori a weird look, and began to speak. "Or....?"

"You've been here for a couple days, and no one has told you anything?"

"No, not really. I've spent most of my time sleeping and recovering from sun poisoning." Kori sighed as she rested her arm on the outside of the tub. Mana smiled and imitated Kori. _'Monkey see, monkey do.'_

"Master Mahado is one of the six sacred priests here at the Pharaoh's palace. Along with Isis, Shada, Karim, Ahknadin, and Seto." Mana counted out six fingers, and pointed to each. "I think you've already met Isis. Oh! She likes you by the way. Says you have a great destiny."

Kori's face lit up at the sound of Isis's name.

"She does? That's great! How does she know my destiny?" Kori asked.

"Each of the priests have a special gift that they get from the Millennium items. Isis's allows her to see into the future." Mana's voice became dark and spooky. Kori sighed again and popped the girl in the head. "Ouch! Sorry..."

"S'okay...." Kori looked about the bath and swam to the edge. "I've been in here too long, I think I should get going."

Mana looked a bit surprised, but smiled. "Alright! I'll see you later!"

'_Yeah, hopefully. If I ever get out of the hallways.'_

_

* * *

_

The pharaoh sat slouched in his throne with his head resting against his fist. It had been three hours already and he was tired of all the entertainment. Every birthday was the same. Each royal and noble family even slightly related to him came, bringing the same gifts every time. Gold, silver, women...he didn't care anymore. The only real excitement he got was when he met that pale girl In the hallway. He couldn't imagine why she was in his palace, but he was just too busy to even give a second glance.

"My Pharaoh?" Isis whispered, glancing down at the seventeen year old. Atem looked up slightly, not even moving his head away from the direction of the woman dancing on the floor below him. He did not want to seem rude to his guests, but his posture would prove other wise.

"Yes, Isis?" He mumbled back, holding back the yawn he so desperately wanted to release.

"You seem to be...how should I put it...bored with your entertainment?" Atem clapped in a sarcastic way.

"Bravo Isis, did you need to use your necklace to see that?" He finally let out his yawn. Isis, slightly taken aback by his rude behavior, turned her head and scoffed. If it wasn't for the fact that she had known him since his child hood, her behavior would have cost her her life. "Its just, I've seen this so many times already..." Isis let out a small sigh.

"I can understand, your highness, but you should at least be polite to your guests." She began, straightening up her back. "They have come all this way just for you. And I hear there is a big surprise at the end."

"**Attention! Attention! May I please have the crowds attention?" **

"See?" Isis whispered, and a small smile appeared across her face. Atem gave her a confused look, then turned back to the short, heavy man standing in the middle of the floor. The music stopped and the dancers ran to the side to give the man some room.

"**Thank you! Thank you all!"** He paused and gave the Pharaoh a slight nod. **"I'm happy to say that I'm bringing in the best gift of all! You're majesty, If you would please come down to the floor?"** The Heavy man smiled and motioned Atem to come down. As he began rising from his chair, the doors to his throne room opened to reveal and group of Elephants dragging in a large, woven basket.

"What is that?" Atem asked, pointing to the large basket. The heavy man gave a slight chuckle and pointed to three large latches that were woven to the basket.

"Open it and see."

Atem stared and walked towards his gift with extreme caution. It could be a lion for all he knew. He slowly lifted his hand and unlatched the first lock. Then the second, and then the third. The Side of the basket then opened like a door to reveal six beautiful women, and also-

"The pale girl?"

To Be continued....


	8. Teana's crazy eyes

Heck yeah! I'm on a role~~ Thank you all for sticking to my story and all of your reviews mean so much to me! Here is the next Chapter!

'How did this happen? How could this happen? Why did this happen?' Kori thought as she stood in front of a large crowd of people. A sudden wave of anxiety and fear flowed through every limb n Kori's body. She wasn't supposed to be here, and while her brain screamed her her to run before any damage is made, her limbs would not agree with her. Standing in front of her, along with six other young women around her age, was the young man she had met earlier that day. He was accompanied by a shorter, fatter, and balding middle aged man who had a the biggest face of surprise. The fat man shook his head and chuckled. The young man mouthed something, but it was too faint to hear.

"Ahem, why yes! As I was saying, heh-- This is my gift to you, your Majesty!"

_'M-Majesty?'_

"My gift to you are six, no, seven women chosen specifically for you. You may do what ever you wish with these girls, but remember, only one can be your queen." The fat man chuckled, bowing to the floor in front of the young man.

_'Well god damn, how did I get my self into this...?'_

* * *

_Earlier_

Kori was once again, lost. After she had left the bathroom, she had some how taken a wrong turn, but because she had done so before, every wall looked just like the others: familiar. Minutes felt like eternity as she made her way through the never ending hell. This time, she didn't expect Isis to pop out of no where and rescue her.

"**Why does this always happen?"** Kori exclaimed, biting her lip. She pounded her fists against the wall and buried her head in her dress.

"_Do you think this looks good?"_

"_Of course, Akani! Every thing looks gorgeous on you!" _

Kori raised her head slowly and peered around the hallway. She could have sworn she heard some voices. She cupped the back of her ears and stood up. Hopefully what ever it was could speak again.

"_Ati! Where is my kohl! You were the last one to use it!" _

Kori's face lit up with a burning excitement, and she began sprinting towards the voices. She tried to be careful and muffle the sound of her pounding, bare feet against the stones so that she wouldn't lose the sounds. Left. Right. Hold on, Stop! The giggling and voices led Kori to a small room at the end of the hall. Kori peeked around the corner to see what was going on. Inside the room were six beautiful woman who all seemed just around Kori's age, if not older.

_'My god! They're gorgeous! I'm so jealous!' _Kori thought as her glazed over eyes glanced from each woman to the next until her eyes stopped on the youngest. She seemed about sixteen, a year older than Kori, and had short brown hair and bright blue eyes. For some odd reason, Kori felt her insides churn. Something wasn't right about that one.

"**Ladies Ladies Ladies! We have to get moving! Its almost time!" **

A servant had appeared and was motioning the women out. One by one each of the ladies entered into a dark room, giggling every step of the way. Kori's eyes were glues to the youngest one. She stared intensely as the brunette glided casually behind the rest. Kori was so distracted by the girl, that she didn't notice the servant walking over to her.

"**What are you doing? We don't have time for lolly gagging! Hurry up or we're going to be late!"**

"W-wait I'm not—**Waaaah**!"

Darkness.

* * *

Present

The crowd began to clap and cheer for the pharaoh, and the group of ladies began to giggle. The youngest, stared at her. This staring and attention was just too much for Kori, and she was beginning to feel faint. But the sight of the young man, or should I say Pharaoh, was the only thing keeping the girl awake.

"My Pharaoh, I pray that you take good care of these fine young ladies. The one with the short hair is my own daughter, Teana!" The fat man pointed to the youngest one. Her glare intensified for a split second before she changed into a sweet innocent girl, giggling and all.

'Something's definitely not right about this one....' Kori glanced back at the Pharaoh who just stood there, staring at each individual woman. Who could blame him though, they were all beautiful. Kori slowly backed up in the corner of the basket and hid. Or at least she tried. The servants had already began to escort each young woman from the basket and into the palace. Kori glanced around the palace nervously. Isis was standing at the throne, smiling and gripping her golden necklace.

"So, it has begun."

To be continued.....


End file.
